Hello, my name is Niall.

I'm from Manchester in the UK, but was getting a little tired of too much rain and dark winter days so decided to go travel the world. It's been 12 months of travelling now, and I still haven't left South America.

I'm very much in love with the continent; the people, the fruit, the mountains, nature, birds, the music, art, and indigenous cultures.
I also really got into surfing, hiking and nature watching.

Things start getting a bit repetitive after travelling so long so I'm seeking new things, anything I haven't tried yet I will always say yes to, so if you have knowledge of anything a bit alternative, or a strange passion, I would love to get involved.

I speak some Spanish by now (B1) and love language exchanges. If someone would like to learn and practice English, I would be very happy to help.

I'm a web developer starting my own company so will often stay in one place for a few weeks or a month to get some stuff done before going to travel more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I had a two bed flat to myself so was happy to share it with anyone. I shared it with an Indian student who couldn't afford to stay on the city but wanted to collaborate with a professor at our university. He was so curious about everything and was delighted when we cooked a typical English dish (Shepard's pie) together. I thought it was so beautiful and wanted to be involved in that cultural exchange again.

Interests

I really like creativity in all its forms.

I like conversations that get a bit deeper than just who we are and what we like, but connecting our understanding of life, culture and human nature together.

I love new things. Any food I haven't tried, music I've never heard, customs I've not seen, or systems I haven't discovered.

• movies
• traveling
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Nothing consistent really but most recently I've been enjoying:
Music- Colombian Cumbia and Argentinian rock.
Books - Gabriel Marquez, Ted Chiang, John Shwartzvelder (one of the original simpsons writers on his solo career)
Films - Relatos Salvajes was the last one that blew me away.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Scuba diving in the Galapagos was pretty magical. It made me profoundly happy to be alive to interact with a ball of one million fish.

Teach, Learn, Share

Yes.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a good listener and have many excellent anecdotes to tell, but only if you want to hear them. I'm very clean, tidy and conscientious too so won't be in your way.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

England